At 35, Dirk Nowitzki thinks age is catching up to him a little bit

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Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer

Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) takes a shot in front of a leaping Miami Heat small forward Michael Beasley (8) during the first half of play at American Airlines Center in Dallas, on Tuesday, February 18, 2014. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News)

Dirk Nowitzki went 1-of-4 and had just four points in the fourth quarter against Miami and that extended a trend in close games where he’s had trouble producing late.

He believes his 35 years are starting to show.

“I think it’s just stamina,” he said. “You’ve got to attack all game. Then, yeah, maybe your legs are not quite as good as they were 10 years ago.”

Asked what might help the situation, he said, “I could rest more, but that’s not going to work.”

Carlisle said he’s confident the Mavericks’ icon will eventually level out to his norm in terms of delivering as a crunch-time closer.

“I haven’t looked at those numbers,” Carlisle said. “The dynamics of our team and situation are different than they’ve been in other years. Whatever [the numbers] are, it’s not a whole year sample. I would reserve judgment until we play the whole year and see what they are then.

“We’re going to have a whole lot more close games, and he’s going to have the ball in his hands. There are times when teams get it out of his hands and in those situations, we got to have other guys make plays.”

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